Reeling and unreeling device



F. W. ELSINGER AND O. SCHMIDT.

REELING AND UNREELING DEVICE. APPLICATION men SEPT} 29, 1919.

1 $34, 361 Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

I w l'llllll- A TTORNEYS FRANCIS ELSINGER AND OSCAR SCHMIDT, U2HARTFORD, WISCONSIN.

REELING AND UNREELING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 29, 1919. Serial No. 327,107.

1 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANCIS W. EL- siNonr. and Oscar SCHMIDT, citizensof the United States, and residents of Hartford, in the county ofWashington and State of lVisconsin, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Reeling and Unreeling Devices, of which the following isa descrip" tion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichare a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements inreeling and unreeling devices for use with fence wire, telephone wiresor cables, rope, hose, chain, etc, of that type depicted in LettersPatent Number 1,311,956, issued to us August 5, 1919.

One object of our invention is to provide a reeling and unreeling deviceof the class described which is so constructed as to accommodate drumsof various sizes.

Another object of our invention is to provide means for adj ustablyapplying friction to the shaft for supporting the reel or drum wherebythe rotation of the same, when it is free of the driving connectionswith the truck wheels, may be governed.

A further object of our invention is to provide a series of guiderollers adjacent the drum for guiding the material wound upon the drum.irrespective of the direction of travel in which the truck may be moved.

A stillfurtherobject of the present invention is to provide a dog andratchet connection between each truck wheel and a sprocket wheelconnected with the drum whereby the truck may be moved in a circularcourse without effecting the drive between the drum and the wheels.

A still further object of our invention is to provide a two-part shaftfor supporting the reel or drum having novel means for operativelyconnecting the parts of said shaft and means for drivingly connectingsaid shaft with the driving means connected with the truck wheels.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, our invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that such. changes in theprecise: embodiment of the herein disclosed invention may be made ascome within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawing, we have illustrated one complete example ofthe physical embodiment of our invention constructed according tothebest mode we have so. far devised for the practical application ofthe principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the device embodying our invention,parts being broken away and parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, parts being broken away and parts beingshown in section.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the reel or drum taken on the line3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4: is a sectional detail perspective view of one of the bearingsand friction members for the drum supporting shaft.

Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the friction membersdetached.

Fig. 6 is a detail view, part in section and part in elevation,illustrating a portion of the horizontal guide roller and one of thevertical guide rollers.

Fig. 7 is a detail elevational view of a portion of the sprocket wheel,ratchet wheel and dog carried by each truck wheel.

Fig. 8 is a view, part in section and part in elevation, taken throughFig. 7 on the plane of the line 8-8, and

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional. view of the two-part shaft illustratingthe manner of joining the two sectionsthereof together, parts of saidview being broken away and in section.

In the drawings,the numeral 4 designates the side frame members, 5 thesupporting legs secured thereto,6 the short axles carried thereby, 7 therear wheels mounted on the axles. and 8 the transverse frame members.The extensions 9 of the frame me1nbers 4 form handles so that on liftingthe handles upwardly to remove the legs 5 from contact with the groundthe device forms a two-wheeled truck which may be pushed along with thewheels moving 011 the ground.

The reel or drum 10. is mounted upon a shaft 11 and detaohably lockedthereto by means of a locking pin-12 passing through i the shaft andthrough an eyebolt or receiver 13 on the drum in which it is held bymeans of a: springl i interposed between Patented Mar. 23, 1920. p

said shaft and a collar 15 secured to the pin. The shaft 11 is removablyjournaled in the frame members 4 being seated in bearing grooves 16 insaid frame members and friction members 17, to be later described,carried by bearing blocks 18 pivotally secured at one end to the members4- and detachably secured at their other ends to said members by asliding bolt lock 1903f usual construction.

As best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 9, the shaft 11 is substantially tubularand is what may be'termed a two-part shaft, having readily removablysecured thereon one end of a shaft section 20 secured by means of areleasable pin 21, held in locking position by means of a spring 22. Theadjacent end of the shaft 11 and the shaft section 20 have alined'keyway slots or openings 23 formed therein through which the locking pin21 passes, the.pin 21 having a pair of oppositely extending ears or lugs24 formed on its lower end whereby the same may be inserted through thealined openings 23 and when the spring 22 is compressed and the lugs 24passed outwardly of the remote opening 23 of the. shaft 11, the same isturned to bring the ears 24 transversely of the keyway of the openings23 and thus the locking pin 21 will be held by reason of the tension ofits spring against accidental displacement.

The drum 10 is drivingly connected with the wheels 7 of thetruck bymeans of a sprocket wheel 25 rotatably mounted on the hub 26 of eachwheel '7 and connected to the Wheel by means of a pivoted dog 27 7 25and 29, and an automatic friction clutch connecting the sprockets 29with the shaft 11. These clutches each consist of a cone 31 formedintegral with the sprocket 29 and engaging a clutch member 32, slidablyand non-rotatably secured to the shaft 11 by pins 33 on said shaft, andslots 34 in said member provided with a conical recess receiving thecone 31 and yieldingly held thereagainst by a spring 35 interposedbetween said member 32,'and a collar 36 carried by the shaft. Thedriving wheels are provided with projecting studs 37 to insure bettertraction. The drum may also be rotated by means of a-hand crank 38 whichis secured to the extended outer end of the shaft section 20 by means ofsuitable lock nuts 39..

With the construction thus far described, the material, such as'rope,wire or cable, is wound on the drum by pushing the, truck along inthedirection of thennwound rope, wire or cable, under which conditions therotation of the wheels 7 will, through the wheels 25, chain 30, wheels29 and the clutches above described, rotate the drum to wind thematerial thereon. As the material is wound on the drum, its diameterincreases and to provide for an even winding we have devised theautomatic clutch above described, which permits a slippage between theshaft and the sprockets 29.

When the truck is turning a sharp curve, it is necessary that one of thewheels 7 rotate faster than the other, and the dogs 27 and ratchetwheels 28 form what may be termed a differential. The dog 27 of thewheel, which is rotating at the slower rate, ratchets over the teeth ofits ratchet wheel will be obvious. The dogs 27 are normally held inengagement with the ratchet wheels 28 by means of a spring 40, and whenit is desired to hold the dogs 27 from engagement with the ratchetwheels, the same are moved against the action of their springs 40 untilrecesses 41 formed in their outer faces aline with the flattened head l2of their pivot, when the same will be held inoperative.

lVith the drum 1O disconnected from the wheels 7 by moving the dogs 27as above. described, the rotation of the drum by reason of the pullexerted on the material being wound therefrom, may be governed by meansof the friction members 17. The friction members 17 each consist of ametal men'iber having one end hingedly connected with the bearing block18, as at 43, and has its other end engaged with an adjusting screw 44whereby the tension of the portion of the members 17 engaged with theshaft 11 may be increased or decreased at will.

Rotatably mounted at the rear of the truck adiacent the drum 10 is ahorizontally disposed elongated guide roller 45 for guiding thematerial. indicated as at 46, onto the drum. When the truck is turning asharp curve, the material 46 becomes entangled with the wheels 7 andwinds itself on the shaft outside of the drum, and to prevent this, weprovide two vertically disposed. guide rollers 47 carried by brackets 48and disposed one at each end of the roller 45.

In order that reels or drums of various sizes may be accommodated on theshaft 1], we provide a plurality of openings 49 adapted to receive thelocking pin 12 so that the same may be moved to the position necessaryto maintain the size of drum being used centrallv of the shaft 11.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with a wheeledtruck, of a shaft journally carried by the truck, a drum mounted on andnormally free to rotate on said shaft. a keeper carried by the drum, alocking pin carried by said shaft and readily releasablv engageable withsaid keeper to detachably lock the drum'to said shaft, said locking pinbeing adjustable with respect to said shaft whereby drun'is of variouswidths may be accommodated, and a driving con nection between said shaftand one of the wheels of said truck.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a wheeledtruck, of a pair of bearing blocks hingedly carried by said truck, ashaft rotatably mounted on the truck and ournaled in said bearingblocks, means carried by said bearing blocks for adjustably applyingfriction to said shaft, a drum mounted on the shaft, and a drivingconnection between said shaft and one of the wheels of the truck.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a wheeledtruck, of a pair of bearing blocks hingedly carried by said truck, ashaft rotatably mounted on. the track and journaled in said bearingblocks, a hinged friction member disposed between each bearing block andthe shaft, means connected with said friction members for adjusting thefriction between said members and the shaft, a drum mounted on theshaft, and a driving connection. between said shaft and one of thewheels of the truck.

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination with atwo-wheeled truck, of a shaft onrnally carried by the truck, a drummounted on the shaft, a sprocket wheel. freely journaled on the hub ofeach wheel of the truck, a sprocket wheel carried by each end of saidshaft and in connection with the sprocket wheel carried by the hub ofthe adjacent truck wheel, a ratchet wheel fixed to the hub of each truckwheel adj acent the sprocket wheel mounted thereon, and a pivoted dogcarried by each sprocket wheel carried by the truck wheels and engageab-le with the teeth of the adjacent ratchet wheel.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with atwo-wheeled truck, of a shaft journally carried by the truck, a drummounted on the shaft, a sprocket wheel. freely journaled on the hub ofeach wheel of the truck, a sprocket wheel carried by each end of saidshaft and in connection with the sprocket wheel carried by the hub ofthe adjacent truck wheel, a ratchet wheel fixed to the hub of each truckwheel adjacent the sprocket wheel mounted thereon, a pivoted dog carriedby each sprocket wheel carried. by the truck wheels and engageable withthe teeth of the adjacent ratchet wheel, spring means normally urgingsaid dogs into engagement with the ratchet wheels, and means for holdingsaid dogs from engagement with the ratchet wheels against said springmeans.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

FRANCIS W. ELSINGER. OSCAR SCHMIDT.

